The education system in Bulgaria remains predominantly state funded. Nearly 87% of the funding is ensured by state budget. The allocated sources for education in 2010 and 2011 vary between 4,20 and 3,30 percents of the GDP. In 2012 3.4% of the GDP will be spent on education. The increase in expenditure in education in comparison to 2011 is BGN 171.2 million, from which BGN 76.9 million from the national budget and BGN 94.3 million from EU funds (national co-financing and European grants). The largest share of private spending is concentrated at the higher education level.

Main policy goals of public funding (School education)

The main aim of the policy is a financial system that encourages and stimulates the development. The execution of the financial policy unites two major approaches in financing. On one hand, the State continues to guarantee the citizens their right to education - meaning that the State provides all educational institutions with the minimum finances for the covering of their expenses. On the other hand, the principle about economic efficiency is applied - it suggests more resources to be invested where there is an already optimized network with all the necessary material, organizational and methodological conditions for a quality educational process (investments in development).

This financing model has a stimulus for a continuous improvement of equal access and quality of education. The financial model observes and meets the following principles and requirements:

Horizontal equality in terms of financing education, as a projection of the equal access to education. “Horizontal equality” does not mean equal (identical) financing for everybody, but it would rather suggest reporting and compensating the naturally occurring inequality in access;

Explicitness and simplicity of the financial model;

Compliance with the aims of the educational policies;

Priority to all internal stimuli for the efficiency of the administrative approach;